


Medical chaos

by HardsteadEMS



Category: Justified
Genre: F/M, Whump, major medical issues
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-16
Updated: 2021-03-16
Packaged: 2021-03-24 12:27:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,894
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30072231
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HardsteadEMS/pseuds/HardsteadEMS
Summary: Inspiration from Lilrenthefox's "Involuntary Addict"
Relationships: Raylan Givens/Original Female Character
Comments: 1
Kudos: 2





	Medical chaos

**Author's Note:**

  * For [lilrenthefox](https://archiveofourown.org/users/lilrenthefox/gifts).



Liz woke up in the back of a van, her mouth covered and her hands and ankles tied together. She didn't remember what happened before waking up. She knew she was in trouble, and had a killer headache to go along with the situation. Hell, she didn't even know how much time had passed. All she did was close her eyes, letting darkness overtake her once again. 

Next, she woke up on a broken and disgusting bed, her wrists tied to a rope with some length to it, letting her sit up comfortably and able to lay down comfortably as well. She knew that she wasn’t in Lexington, Kentucky anymore. Liz knew that she was in a warehouse, She tried to stand up, but her legs gave out and she fell hard to the ground. After yipping from her fall, the door opened to a man in a suit and tie with 2 men following behind entered her room. 

“Hope your trip was a pleasant one.” The man pulled up a chair and sat in front of Liz who got herself positioned back onto the bed. 

“Well considering I slept most of the way and developed a killer headache, thanks for the gesture.” Liz said sarcastically, “Where am I? Why am I here? And who are you?”

“For a Marshal, you’re stupid. My name is Theo Tonin, and your husband killed Augustine. So, Deputy Marshal welcome to Detroit. The home of the Dixie mafia.” Theo smirked devilishly. “So, to get back at your husband. We are going to put you through hell and back. Let’s hope you survive till he comes to your rescue.” 

Theo stood up from his chair, turned away from Liz and stopped at his boys. “Let the fun begin.” 

She watched Theo walk away as the 2 boys that followed him approach her. She saw in each hand, brass knuckles or some type of weapon. Her body began to shake as she tried tugging her restraints, but they didn’t budge. Her mind was going crazy and tears threatened to escape her eyes. Then the hell officially began as she was beaten, smashed, broken and blood escaped from her body. Liz screamed out for Raylan, but he never came. 

3 hellish hours later, they finally stopped. Liz wasn’t on the bed, she was on the floor as her whole body screamed in pain. Bruises, gashes, and a few broken bones were the outcome. Just before they left, Liz was given a drug. She silently cried as they left her alone in the cold room. Liz kept thinking about Raylan and if she was going to survive. Her worst fear was Raylan arriving and finding her dead on the floor. Soon the drugs started to take effect, her body feeling numb, and her body temperature dropping massively before falling unconscious. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Raylan returned home to find the house a mess, and a few dead bodies in the living room. He brought his gun out and searched the house. Liz was nowhere to be seen and her gun was on the floor. He instantly called Art, knowing something was horribly wrong.

“What is it Raylan?” Art answered his office phone.

“Liz is missing,” Raylan with a saddened tone spoke to Art. “Her gun is on the floor with bullets missing, the house is a mess, and a few dead bodies are laying in our living room…”

“Listen to me carefully,” Art spoke in a serious, “don't touch anything. Get out of there and wait for me to show up.”

“But Art,” he protested.

“If you want a better chance of finding her then don't touch anything!” Art snapped trying to knock some sense into him. 

“You got it Art,” Raylan hung up and looked around the house, “Where are you Liz?” 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Liz awoke to the same men from the day before, they looked at her before one walked out of the room. She was shaking from her body temperature being so low, she couldn’t feel her hands or her toes. The rope was tied too tight, and the tips of her fingers were tinted blue. She was still being affected by the drugs in her system. Trying to comprehend what was going on, but the voices seemed so far away even though they were right in front of her. 

“P-Please……. No more…..” Liz mumbled, pleading to them to not do it again. 

They listened to her plead, respecting her wish and left her be. She felt sleepy again, closing her eyes and letting darkness take her away. Over the next 2 weeks, she was continued to be beaten, given drugs, gaining more bruises and a huge gash across her stomach. It interfered with her ability to differentiate between reality. An IV bag with clear liquid hung from the wall, it was attached to her arm. Her eyes sunken in a bit, with bags visible under her eyes too. She had given up hope on a rescue as her mind began to hallucinate, seeing or hearing Raylan call out to her, but it was never real. Many times she would cry non-stop when regaining consciousness. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

2 weeks had passed, Liz wasn’t in Harlan or Lexington. Raylan was worried sick and desperate to find his wife. The office pushed aside the other cases and called in for extra help. The autopsy identified the 3 dead bodies that they were from Detroit, which caught his attention. He bet a dollar that Boyd could get him some well needed information. Raylan dialed Boyd’s number and hoped he’d pick up. 

“What can I do for you, Raylan?” Boyd’s voice chimed through the phone. 

“I need a favor. See if you can get any indication of the Dixie Mafia in Detroit keeping a federal in their custody.” Raylan stepped out of the office and into the hallway. 

“Who might this federal be?” Boyd asked.

“My wife,” Raylan leaned against the wall, “She was reported missing over 2 weeks ago after I returned home to find a crime scene in my living room.” 

“I can pull some strings for you and call you with my results.” Boyd agreed to the favor and hung up. 

Raylan put his phone away before fiddling with his wedding band on his hand. He was worried sick about her, and hoped she was alive. 

By the end of the night, he received a call from Boyd. 

“Please tell me you got something.” Raylan prayed Boyd had anything on where she was. 

“Your wife is in Detroit, in Theo Tonin’s warehouse.” Boyd spoke the magical words he craved. 

“Thank you Boyd.” Raylan thanked Boyd before hanging up and entering the office. “She’s in Detroit, a warehouse owned by Theo Tonin. We gotta go, now!” 

Raylan grabbed his bullet vest, ready to shoot anyone who hurt his wife. 

“You're going to need some help,” Tim joined him. 

“If you’re saying I need tactical help,” Raylan looked over at him, “I probably do.” 

“I'll just keep you from getting yourself killed,” Tim said, pulling out his old tactical rifle. 

“Planes waiting lets go!” Art yelled at the both of them.

“Lets go!” Tim said heading out the door. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“We’re meeting the FBI, Detroit PD, and Wayne County Sheriff there with their swat teams,” Art informed his fellow marshals on the way to the warehouse.

“If we find Liz,” Raylan said, “I want to be the first one in the room.”

“We'll do our best,” Art said. 

“Raylan what if she's…” Tim started.

“Dead,” Raylan slipped a full mag into his sidearm, “I'm prepared for that.”

“I was gonna say ‘not there’ but that works too,” Tim commented.

“We’ll deal with the aftermath when we know what it is,” Art tried to calm the air. 

They pull up to the meet up where all the other law enforcement agencies were waiting. Art signaled for them to wait why he got out and talked to the chiefs of each unit. Raylan sat impatient as they all talked strategy. He knew the longer they waited the more likely Liz was going to be even more hurt or gone. 

Art finally opened the door of the SUV ushering Raylan and Tim out. 

“Now these gentlemen are going to go over the tactical strategy,” Art explained, “Tim feel free to chime in.”

“I'll do my best,” Tim said. 

Raylan tried his best to pay attention to the strategy. He just wanted to get into the warehouse and find his wife. After a little bit of time, he had had it. 

“Are we going to bust into the warehouse or not?” he snapped.

“Raylan stand down!” Art snapped. 

“This is Liz we are talking about Art!” he countered, “it's already been two weeks! Who knows that kind of shape she's in! Or even if she is still alive.” 

“We're doing our best to make sure the mission goes as successfully as possible,” the head of the FBI group got up in Raylan’s face.

“I ain't afraid of you,” Raylan glared at him. 

“Raylan,” Tim stepped between them, “Let it go.” 

Raylan stepped back and lowered his head. He kept the glare but kept his mouth shut. The group continued strategizing for a little bit more then gave the order to move out. Art, Tim, and Raylan got into the SUV they had arrived in. 

“The FBI and Swat teams will move in first to secure the scene then we will follow and track down Liz,” Art informed Raylan. 

“Sounds like a plan.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The first team stormed the warehouse. The shoot commenced letting Raylan know they were in the right location. He moved in with Art, Tim, and the rest of the team. Raylan had his gun raised his eyes scanning every inch. Gunfire a head made his instincts get higher. They rounded a corner to find insurgents. Tim fired a few rounds taking them out with tactical precision. Raylan joined in hitting a few of the others.

“Marshal!” they heard someone yell. 

Raylan took off towards the call. He found part of the Detroit PD swat standing in front of a room. 

“There’s someone inside but we can't get the door open” one informed him.

“We tried kicking it in?” Raylan asked, “Battering ram?” 

“Might need explosives on this one,” Tim came up behind him. 

“If Liz is in there,” Raylan turned to him. 

“We can use a minor one that will have most of the blast on this side,” Tim said, “same stuff we used in Iraq to break into enemy compounds.” 

“Let's do it,” The swat leader said. 

He sent out a small group to retrieve the needed supplies. When they returned, Tim helped them set it up to have the best effect and little explosion. They ran the wire while everyone took cover. 

“Fire in the hole!” the one in charge of the blast yelled. 

Raylan looked up as it went off. For a second he was back in the mines and Boyd was blowing it up. The ringing in his ears snapped him back to the present. He was the first one to the door. He made his way through the dust and smoke from the blast. He saw a figure on the floor next to a bed. When everything cleared, he recognized it as her. Her wrists were bound tight, her toes and fingers were blue, her skin bruised and bloody, and she had obvious broken bones. 

“Liz,” he knelt down next to her side. 

He pulled out a knife and cut the line connecting her hands to the bed. He pulled her into his lap trying his best to be as careful as possible. He could see her skin was hot from infection and discolored in areas. Redness around the cut locations told him they were old and hadn’t been treated. 

Her eyes opened a bit at the new presence. Her pupils were dilated. He noticed injection marks on her arms and knew she was under the influence of some kind of drug. 

“Liz it's me,” he pleaded to her, “Please come back to me.” 

He felt himself get nervous and fear kicked in. 

“We need a medic in here!” he called out. 

“Stay with me Liz,” he brushed her hair out of her face, “You're going to be ok.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Liz heard the bustle of Theo’s men, grabbing weapons and her room being locked tightly. A couple minutes later, gunfire echoed through the warehouse. It caught her attention as she tried to lift her head and open her eyes, but her body was too weak. The food they rarely gave her, she had puked up. It was on the other side of the broken bed, mixed with stomach acid and at times drops of blood from getting punched in the stomach fiercely. Her body was in shock, the drugs keeping her alive as the gash stopped bleeding a few days ago, and was severely infected. 

“Marshal!” A muffled voice came from the other side of her door, she thought it was Theo Tonin, so she stayed quiet. The time she spent here, petrified Liz. “Fire in the hole!!!”

A loud bang went off and the smell of smoke filled the room. She heard the clicking of footsteps enter, but they were familiar footsteps. Once they stopped, the voice she’s heard many times filled the air. 

“Liz” 

She thought it was another hallucination, her mind was playing tricks again or letting Liz see her husband one last time before death. The footsteps got closer, and her restraints that connected her arms to the bed, were cut. The IV ripped out of her arm, then felt a pair of arms pick her limp, painful and broken body off of the cold floor into an all familiar lap. She fought to open her eyes, and there Liz finally saw her husband. He was holding her in his arms, he was real. 

“Liz it’s me,” She faintly heard him say. “Please come back to me.” 

Liz could tell that he yelled due to the faint jerky movements. She felt herself beginning to lose consciousness once again. 

“Stay with me Liz.” She heard Raylan speak one last time before everything went dark.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The medic came into the room and knelt down next to the couple. 

“Can I see her,” he asked Raylan. 

The marshal didn't reply. He didn't want to leave her side. 

“Raylan,” Tim stepped forward putting a hand on his shoulder, “they need to examine her.” 

Raylan just nodded then placed Liz carefully on the ground and stood up. Tim guided him to the door why the med team did their thing. 

“They tortured her Tim,” Raylan said, “its pry all because of me.” 

“You don't know that,” Tim tried to reassure him.

“I'm the only one whos dealt with Tonin,” Raylan snapped, “and he's going to pay for this!”

“Raylan, I understand that you’re upset, but right now your main priority is to be there for your wife. We will make sure to get him and you get to put the bullet in his head.” Tim snapped back at Raylan, hoping to put him back in line. 

The medic approached the 2 marshals. “Her pupils are blown, infected wounds, broken ribs, lacerations to her arms and legs. She also has a huge gash on her stomach and under the influence. She kept calling for you Mr. Givens. We are going to transport her and until I come back with the stretcher, can you be with her?” The medic asks Raylan.

“Ya,” Raylan replied, “I'll follow your lead.” 

The medic brought Raylan to Liz, her skin was now pale with a slight bluish tint to her lips, she was also burning up. 

“Ray…..Help” Liz pleaded, beginning to feel weaker by the minute.

“I'm right here Liz,” he took her hand in his, “I'm right here.” 

Liz held on as hard as she could, but it was hard to stay awake. “Sleepy…….” 

“Stay with me Liz,” he pleaded, “Don't leave me now. You have to stay with me.” 

“I’m scared……” Liz was terrified, the effects of the drugs messing with her mind.

“I'll keep you safe,” he knew she wasn't clear of mind, “just don't let them win.” 

The medic came back with the stretcher, “We’ve got flight medics just a minute out. It’ll be faster to transport.” The medic responded.

“Do what you need to do,” Raylan nodded to the medic, “just as long as we get her taken care of. That's all I care about.” 

“You’ll be able to ride with us to the hospital Mr. Givens,” The medic gets the stretcher ready. “Let’s get her ready to transport.” 

Liz’s stats weren’t stabilized and winced at the intense pain that shot through her whole body as they lifted her onto the stretcher. Liz wanted it to stop, she was so exhausted and weak that she couldn’t fight to stay awake any longer. Liz closed her eyes, letting darkness take over.

“Liz are you with us?” The medic asked her, got no response. “She’s unresponsive, but still breathing.” The medic then checked for a pulse. “She’s barely got a pulse!”

“Then lets get her out of here and to the hospital,” Raylan stated. 

They strapped her in just as the helicopter landed. Everyone is loaded up and they take off towards the hospital. During the ride they gave Liz some Narcan to help get rid of the drugs in her system, but she was still unresponsive and unstable.

Raylan sat next to Liz across from the medics. He found himself holding onto every bit of hope he had in his system. The two weeks he had been searching for her had felt like eternity. Now he felt as if time was suspended and it was just him and Liz trapped in this space. He found himself recalling memories, any little thing to keep him from falling into the abyss of desperation. 

The first time he ever saw her, her first day back in Harlan, their first day, the night he proposed, their wedding day…

“Till Death do us part,” he whispered, “I don't want that to be now…” 

They arrived at the hospital, Liz was rushed into the ICU. His fellow marshal’s waiting for him in a private waiting room.

“How is she?” asked Art. 

“She's unresponsive and they're trying to stabilize her,” Raylan informed them. 

“Where is she now?” Tim asked. 

“In the ICU,” Raylan answered, “they're not sure what all is wrong but the amount of infection and drugs in her system are taking a toll.” 

“She's a strong woman Raylan,” Art tried to reassure him, “She survived this long. She’ll get through this.” 

“Seeing her like this…” Raylan sat down resting his head in his hands.

“Keep your head high,” Art sat down next to him, “just be thankful she's still alive.” 

“Guess that's the one thing I can be thankful for.” 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After what seemed like eternity once again for Raylan, was truly only 30 minutes as a doctor came into the room, closing the door behind him. 

“Are you Mr. Givens?” The doctor looked at Raylan.

“I am,” Raylan looked up. 

“We finally got her stable, but she is going through withdrawal symptoms from the drugs she was given. If you are able to keep her calm, we can manage her pain from the broken bones. Otherwise, we’d have to put her in a coma.” The doctor explained to Raylan.

“I'll do my best,” he nodded understanding the circumstances, “I'm just happy she's still alive.” 

“She’s a fighter alright. We are finishing with IV’s, you can go see her now. You’ll be glad to know that she’s responsive as well.” The doctor smiled. 

“Thanks for everything doc,” Raylan got up wanting nothing more than to see his wife. 

He walked into her room and stood at the door looking in at her. Seeing her laying a hospital bed had almost become a regular thing with the job. But this time he knew it was different. He had been so close to losing her that he had felt at his lowest. He walked over and took a seat next to her bed, enjoying her presence. He was happy to not have had to say goodbye. 

Liz felt her head thundering as she heard voices. Moving her fingers, she tried to take a breath but it hurt. Her body wouldn’t respond which terrified her. Where is Raylan? Where am I? 

He saw her finger move and he stood up taking her hand. 

“I'm right here Liz,” he said hoping she could hear him, “As long as you need me.” 

Feeling Raylan’s hand, she fought harder to open her eyes, her body shivering. Her training kicked in, she was trying to fight it, instead of relaxing. 

“Easy Liz,” he saw her fighting and started to worry, “Don't stress yourself. You've been through a lot the last two weeks. Relax now.” 

Liz turned her head in Raylan’s direction, she finally relaxed and opened her eyes. “R-Ray...” 

“Welcome back,” he said, squeezing her hand, “Thought I was going to lose you. But you reminded me what a fighter you are.” 

“I learned that from you.” Liz started to sweat from her high fever from the infection. 

“I think you've taught me more over the years,” he chuckled, “happy to see your spirits returning.” 

Liz finally smiled as the corner or her mouth curled up. She lightly squeezed his hand as a nurse came in with some towels and a small bowl of water.

“If her fever gets high or she gets too hot, use this to cool off her forehead. Best bet is for her to sleep off the fever.” The nurse spoke to Raylan. 

“I'll keep an eye on her,” Raylan replied, “make sure she gets that much needed sleep.” 

He looked over at Liz with a small smile. A knock on the doorway made him look up. Tim was leaning against it. Raylan got up and walked over to his fellow marshal. 

“I see she's awake,” Tim commented. 

“She's getting better,” Raylan said, “the nurse recommends sleep to help tame the fever.” 

“Good to know,” Tim said, “Art and I are going to head out to meet with the other teams. I'll call you and let you know what comes of it.” 

“Thanks Tim,” Raylan turned back to Liz, “and Tim..” 

Tim looked at Raylan curious. 

“Leave Theo Tonin for me.” 

Liz could hear them talking, her body warming up as beads of sweat trickled down her face. She had never been in this much pain, she wanted it to go away. Raylan turned back to Liz to see the look of discomfort on her face. He moved to her side feeling his worry come back. 

“I’m sorry….” Liz didn’t feel like herself, she had become an addict but not by choice or fun. A machine gave a dose of Morphine to take the pain away, once it took effect she relaxed. 

“Don't get too reliant on the drugs,” Raylan warned, “it never ends well.” 

“I tried, but I couldn’t handle the pain anymore…. I’m an addict to whatever drug they gave me, I know Morphine wasn’t one of them…” Liz explained to her best abilities. 

“You're only an addict if you keep using once you're out of here,” Raylan tried to reassure her, “until then you're just a victim to the mafia who was force to use against her will” 

“I’m terrified of what’ll happen when I do get out…” Liz sunk into her pillow.

“I will do everything in my power to support you all the way through this,” Raylan felt the doubt growing inside of him as well. But he decided he had to stay strong for Liz’s sake. 

He also knew that going home might be a problem as well knowing Harlan was the cesspool of drugs and crime that someone in Liz’s position could get sucked into. 

Liz felt the Morphine take effect, she began to feel sleepy as her body went from sweating to now shivering as she was freezing. “Don’t leave me Ray, please…” Her voice was slurred.

“Liz!” he jumped up, “Liz! Stay with me!” 

He felt panic take over. He squeezed her hand trying to get her back to him. He felt desperation as he didn't know what to do. 

“Someone help!” he yelled for anyone to hear, “Someone come quickly!” 

The doctor and nurse came running, her stats dropped and she became unresponsive once again. Her oxygen level decreased drastically, making them bag her and help her breathe. Her stats stabilized once again. 

“Mr. Givens, I’m sorry but we are going to put her into a coma until her body can detox from the drugs. She was given a deadly combination of Heroin, Fentanyl and Oxy. She just went through a withdrawal.” The doctor explained to Raylan, with a sad tone. 

He felt his heart drop in his chest. All the air left his lungs. His knees turned to water and he fell to the ground. A nurse tried to catch him but he was too heavy for her to hold. He let out a deep breath and then got back to his feet. 

“Do what you need to do,” he heard his voice shake, “just keep her alive.” 

“After a couple days, if her detox levels are good and no signs of withdrawals then she should be awake by then. I will have a bed brought in for you to stay. Nurse, get the equipment ready.” The doctor felt bad for him, but would do everything in his heart to make sure she got out of it alive. 

Liz was put into a medically induced coma, with a ventilator hooked up to a tube that was down her throat, giving her oxygen. Her stats showed good heart rhythm and oxygen levels. Raylan sat listening to the beeps of the monitors and the rhythm of the oxygen machine. He sat in the chair next to the bed, leaned back with his head rested on his hand. His Stetson rested on his knee and he sat there feeling helpless. Raylan wanted to blame himself for all this. He had gotten mixed up with the Dixie Mafia. He had been there when Sammy Tonin was killed. All that had led back to them taking Liz, not once, but twice. This time they had almost killed her. Raylan felt the anger start to boil up inside as his mind twisted his emotions. He didn't want to leave Liz’s side, but he felt that he needed to end this, once and for all. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Raylan sat in a car down the road from Theo Tonin’s estate. His gun was on his lap as he staked out the place. He hadn't seen anyone come or go for a while and it didn't look like anyone was home. He made up his mind and with his emotions driving his mental state, he got out of the car ready to end this feud once and for all. He moved across the street and down the side of the property to enter the house from the back. Raylan scanned the place staying vigilant for any guards that might be at the place. He moved into the house with swift determination. He entered the main living room to find two guards and Tonin. The guards went to pull their guns but Raylan beat them to the punch line. He dropped them both then raised his gun pointing it at Theo. 

“Marshal,” the man said, “what a pleasant surprise.” 

“Instead of coming after me you kidnap and almost kill my wife,” Raylan snapped.

“You were an accessory to the murder of my son,” Theo said coolly, “I felt it was only fair to take something of yours.” 

“You chose wrong,” Raylan’s voice full of his boiling anger, “and now, I'm gonna put you down.” 

“Go ahead Marshal,” Tonin sneered, “take your best shot.” 

“Oh I plan to!” Raylan went to pull the trigger but a voice stopped him.  
“Raylan!” Tim entered the room with his own sidearm raised. 

“Stay out of this Tim!” Raylan snapped at him. 

‘Raylan if you pull that trigger they will take your badge,” Tim tried to talk sense into his fellow marshal, “and how would Liz feel if she woke up and found out her husband was in jail.” 

“He almost killed her Tim!” Raylan kept his attention on Tonin who was enjoying the show before him. 

“But she’s alive Raylan!” Tim’s voice was desperate. 

“She's in a fucking coma Tim!” Raylan looked back so Tim was in his peripheral, “his men loaded her up on Heroin, Fentanyl and Oxy. She's fighting for her life! And it's all this asshole’s fault!” 

“We're going to take him down for kidnapping a marshal,” Tim informed him, “he’ll go to prison.” 

“He doesn’t deserve a sentence,” Raylan snapped. 

“Is it worth your badge?” Tim asked once more. 

“Ya Marshal,” Tonin commented, “is worth the badge?” 

“If it means your ass burns in hell,” Raylan returned his attention to Theo, “most definitely.”

“Well we can't have that can we,” Tonin looked up. 

He pulled a gun hoping to catch Raylan off guard. But Raylan was ready. At the first sign of the weapon, Raylan pulled the trigger. He loaded Tonin with three rounds. Tim lowered his weapon accessing the scene before him. Raylan lowered his and turned around to face Tim. 

“It was justified,” with that he pushed passed him and out of the house. 

“Raylan, wait up!” Tim called. 

“You going to arrest me Tim?” Raylan turned back to face Tim. 

“No,” Tim answered. 

“How did you know I was here anyways?” Raylan asked, raising an eyebrow. 

“I was staked out down the street figuring you would show up eventually,” Tim’s flat tone had returned. 

“Liz is in the hospital fighting for her life right now,” Raylan opened his car door, “I'll sleep a little better knowing the man that put her there is dead.” 

He slammed the door shut and drove past Tim back to the hospital. When Raylan returns, Liz is still hooked up to the ventilator, but the color of her skin has returned. 

“Hello Mr. Givens. Just got done with her temperature check, it’s decreased to 102.3 which is out of the dangerous area. While you were gone, she’s improved. Doctor would still like her to be in the coma till we are sure her body has fully detoxed.” The nurse explained to Raylan. 

“Happy to hear she's improving,” he nodded to the nurse. 

“The bed is set up next to hers for you. I will check up on her later.” The nurse then leaves them be.

Raylan flopped down on the bed feeling tiredness kick in. He looked over at Liz and felt himself genuinely smile. 

“Well get through this Liz,” He reached over to her, “I promise you that.” 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Raylan was sitting in the chair next to her bed when the doctor came in.

“Good morning, Mr. Givens.” The doctor greeted Raylan.

Morning,” Raylan looked over at him. 

“After monitoring her for a couple days, her body is now fully detoxed. She’s ready to be brought back from the coma.” The doctor smiled, happy to know that his patient pulled through.

“Lets get her up then,” Raylan smiled, happy to finally have Liz back.   
The doctor turns off the machine, carefully removes the tube and gives her a dose of medicine to wake her up. “She should be responsive soon.” The doctor brings the headrest up before leaving them be.

Raylan sat up waiting for Liz to come back to him. He wanted nothing more than to see her smiling face after all this heartache and suffering they had both been through. 

Finally, the time has come. Liz slowly began to hear the hustle from out in the hallway, she slowly fluttered her eyes open. “Ray?” Liz called out with her raspy voice from the tube. 

“Second time I get to say this,” He grinned, “but welcome back Liz.” 

Liz turned her head in his direction, instantly smiling softly as tears threatened to escape. “You didn’t leave, I was afraid to wake up and never see you again…” 

“I said I'd be here for you,” he took her hand, “and I kept my word.” 

She tightened her grip on his hand, having some of her strength back. Her infection is almost gone, broken ribs almost healed but for her other broken bones, they will take longer. No longer under the influence of drugs, she realized that she’s alive and out of that Warehouse.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A week had passed, her fever from the infection spiked a couple times as she had multiple infected wounds, some requiring stitches or staples. Liz is wanting to be transferred to the hospital back in Lexington, but the doctor is declining due to her still being feverish and at times, delirious. A couple times she even puked up her hospital meal from the fever. She made it out of the cave, but isn’t out of the woods yet. The hospital set up a private room just for them as Liz would be admitted for a while. 

Liz missed being back in Kentucky, she missed her own bed, She was homesick. She’s lucky that her wedding band was at home somewhere safe. Liz had wounds on her legs, arms, and one on her stomach. Her arm wounds were looking better than the others. The one on her stomach was the worst. It wasn’t healing as quickly, which made the doctor worry. Liz was still on pain medication for her body pain, but he was afraid that it would turn into Sepsis. 

Liz felt her now shoulder length hair being held out of her face by Raylan as her breakfast and lunch came back up. After it was done she teared up and laid her head back on the pillow. Liz saw Raylan return with a damp towel, wiping her mouth then her forehead as today her fever spiked again to 103.4. 

“Watching you go through this makes me hurt,” he said, “Wish I could do something to make you feel better.” 

“I want to be back home and not here in Detroit…” Liz said while looking into Raylan’s eyes.

“I know,” he let out a deep breath, “We’ll be back in Kentucky in now time. I’m just happy Art is letting me stay here.” 

“Someone has to keep me calm or otherwise I wouldn’t have been out of the coma yet.” Liz still looked at Raylan, as he was the only thing that reminded her of home.

“Good to know you still enjoy my company,” he joked with her. 

Liz smiled, but it turned to a frown. “Before I saw you back at the Warehouse, I kept having hallucinations of you. I would see you run towards me or hear you yell my name. When you finally came, I thought you were just another hallucination or my mind trying to tell me that it was my time to go.” Liz finally let the tears escape her eyes. “I’d actually given up hope on being rescued… But when I knew you were real, I didn’t want to go.”

“ I thought I'd lost you there for a few,” Raylan admitted, “searching Kentucky and the deepest parts of Harlan for two weeks really takes a toll on ya. Then coming here and finally seeing you again, but the state you were in didn't raise my spirits. The only thing I could think about was holding on to whatever moments we possibly had left.” 

“What gave you the hint that I was here in Detroit?” Liz asked Raylan, wondering how he found out. 

”Would you believe me if I said Boyd Crowder?” Raylan looked over at her wondering how she was going to take that news. 

“I knew he would do you a favor cause you both dug coal together. I’ll make sure to see him in person and thank him for what he did.” 

Raylan’s mind went back to when he was in the warehouse and the explosion made him think of his time in the mines. 

“Fire In The Hole!” 

The words rang in his head. Then he saw Boyd’s face when they were nineteen sitting out in the back of a pickup in the middle of Harlan drinking beer they had stolen from their father’s. 

“We Dug Coal Together” 

“I guess you can say that…” Raylan let the words out slowly. 

“You okay, Ray?” Liz asked her husband, knowing he wasn’t acting like himself. 

“To be honest,” Her husband replied, “I don't know.” 

He took his hat off rubbing his forehead letting out a deep breath. 

“I wish I could help you, Ray… But in the state I’m in, I’m useless.” Liz reached for Raylan’s hand to hold in hers. 

“I know,” he shot her a grin, “I'll be fine as long as you're here with me.” 

Liz smiled back at Raylan, “Same here, darling. Always.” 

Liz’s face turned a bit green, she was going to puke again. Raylan grabbed the bedpan for her and wrapped her hair around his hand so it was out of the way. She soon threw up as sharp pain came from her stomach after she finished. She wrapped her arms around her stomach from the sharp pain. 

“Ray…. Where am I???” Liz was very confused 

“We’re in the hospital in Detroit,” He too grew confused, “we’ve been here for a couple weeks.” 

The pain radiated to her chest, tears flowed down her face, she wanted to curl up in a ball. 

“It hurts, Ray. Help me.” Liz pleaded to Raylan, confused on what is going on. 

“I'll get the nurse,” Raylan assured her and ran to the door, “can we get some help in here! Please!” 

The nurse came running into the room and helped Liz lay back onto the bed. Liz’s eyes rolled back and her body began to seize uncontrollably. The nurse ran to the wall, hitting the big red button which set an alarm off on the floor they were on. Her hospital bed was laid down flat as the doctor and more nurses came running into the room. 

“I had a feeling this would happen!” The doctor checked her eyes.

“What's going on Doc?” Raylan asked with the slightest hint of panic. 

“She’s gone into Sepsis, the infection has somehow gotten into her bloodstream and if we don’t get the treatment going her organs will shut down,” The doctor explained to Raylan, as he administered a drug to stop her from seizing. He watched her body stop jolting around,   
Raylan felt dread take over his whole system. She didn't deserve this? Why was this happening to her? 

Liz slowly came back as a headache began to form. Her body felt weak and she was severely confused. Her eyes opened, seeing the doctor and nurses surrounding her, but no Raylan. She tried to speak, but she found a hard time trying to. Her body ached and she wanted to sleep. An oxygen mask was placed over her mouth and nose, helping her breathe. 

Raylan had been pushed outside of the room by the array of nurses that had gone in to stabilize Liz. He stood outside watching the whole scene before him. He felt tears make their way to his eyes as his emotions ran rampant. He felt as if he was having an out of body experience. The sounds and noises became distant and muffled. He was trapped inside his own head. He walked back until he was against a wall and he sank down. He took his hat off and leaned his head back. He closed his eyes wanting to wake up from this nightmare. 

The nurses left her room and the doctor stood by Raylan outside her room. “Mr. Givens, can I speak with you in the room, please?” 

“Ya,” Raylan picked himself up off the ground and followed him. 

The doctor stopped at the foot of her bed, looking at Liz. “I’m giving you a couple minutes to speak with your wife before we have to heavily sedate her and begin the treatment. We’d have to put her on a ventilator, begin insulin treatment, and give her medication while keeping a heavy eye on her condition. Her kidneys had started to shut down, which caused the seizure. If we want a better chance at her making it through, this is the best choice.” The doctor turned and walked to the door. “I’ll give you a couple minutes.” 

Liz was confused, upset, and terrified. She wanted it to stop, it hurt so much. 

“If there was a deed in this world I could execute to make this all go away,” He rested his hand on his wife’s, “I would do it in a heartbeat.” 

Liz turned her head towards him, tears trickling down her face. “Ray……. Will I be okay?” Liz’s voice was weak and slow, a side effect from her seizure. 

“I promise you, you will make it through this,” Raylan knew he might be spinning false hope, but he didn't want her to get her spirits down, “It might be a day, a week, a month, or even a year. But you will walk out of this hospital.” 

“I’m scared… What’s happening???” Liz had a terrified tone in her voice. 

“The infection got worse,” he wanted it in as simple of terms as possible, “They’re going to take care of you and we will get through this.” 

"Don't leave me Ray…." Liz cries, knowing she's gonna be sedated.

“I'll be right here,” He smiled at her, “don't worry. If I do go I won't go far.” 

The doctor enters with the ventilator and the medication. 

"I don't want it…. I don't want to sleep." Liz begged. 

“When you wake up you’ll feel a whole world better,” Raylan said, “and it's only temporary.” 

"How long???" Liz asked. 

“As long as you need to get better,” Raylan stated. 

The doctor approaches Liz, picking up her arm. Liz cries as she feels the medicine go into her arm. It isn't long till her eyes slowly close and she is sedated. Even the doctor shed a tear watching her fall asleep.

“Now that she can’t hear us,” Raylan grit his teeth, “what are her chances?” 

"To be honest, not great. Her body has taken a harsh beating, but I will do everything in my power to make sure she pulls through. You have my word, Mr. Givens." The doctor watched the nurse hook Liz to the ventilator.

Thanks doc,” Raylan said then he sat down in the chair next to Liz’s bed. 

"Update the Kentucky office, I haven't been able to for the past few days." the doctor tells Raylan before leaving. 

Raylan rocked his head back knowing that he was going to have to let Art know he was going to be in Detroit for a little while longer. He pulled out his phone dialing the office. His eyes never left Liz as the phone rang.

“I taken this is your update call?” Art answered. 

“They had to put Liz under again,” He said, “she's all kinds of messed up Art. I don't know how long until we are able to come back.” 

“We?” Art said, “Raylan I need you back here.” 

“I'm not leaving her,” Raylan stated. 

“I'll see if I can buy you a few more days,” Art said, “but that's no guarantee.” 

“Thanks Art,” Raylan said, “I'll keep you updated.” 

The doctor returns, putting up the insulin bag and a feeding tube so she could eat. 

“I heard the last part of your call, I apologize. But I have a way that might help the both of you. Once she’s off the ventilator, we could transfer you both back to Lexington. I don’t know when, I’ll work on getting a time for that to your boss.” The doctor wanted to help them, so he hoped that offer would work.

“I could care less about when we get back to Lexington as long as Liz gets to go with me,” Raylan commented. 

“And I plan on keeping it that way Mr. Givens. I’m not supposed to let my emotions influence my work, but when they brought your wife in and heard what happened. I wanted to help you both in any way I could.” The doctor explained.

“It's greatly appreciated Doc,” Raylan said. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next few weeks were very tense as Liz was receiving multiple medications, treatments and healing. They had to do a small operation to remove the now dead tissue from her stomach. Afterwards, the wound began to heal quickly, and her body fought against the infection. Finally, the day her ventilator would be removed and replaced with an oxygen mask as they are getting her prepared to be transferred back to Lexington, Kentucky by helicopter. It’s been a long 2 months with recovery, but she was closer to finally being out of the woods.

Raylan called Art to let him know that they were almost ready to go back to Kentucky. He sat in Liz’s room waiting for her to come too since they had lowered the sedation. 

Liz felt herself waking up feeling better than before, but still icky. The pain was gone, she felt stronger too. First thing that came to her mind was her husband. She remembered him saying he wouldn’t leave her. 

“Ray, are you here?” Liz called out through her oxygen mask. 

“It's so good to hear your voice again,” Raylan reached out, taking her hand to let her know where he was. 

Liz smiled, knowing he was there. A nurse walked in with the flight medics that would be transporting them back to Lexington. “These are your pilots for the flight home. They are ready when you guys are.” 

“Wait… We are going home, Ray?” Liz asked Raylan. 

“Yes Liz,” he felt a rush of joy take over, “Were finally going back to Kentucky.” 

Liz’s eyes finally had that shine back to them before the whole incident took place. She was excited to finally go home. “I’m ready to go home, Ray.” 

“So am I,” Raylan agreed with her. 

They get ready to take off, Liz holds Raylan’s hand as they put an extra oxygen tank in the helicopter for her. Finally, the door closed and they took off from the ground, heading back to Kentucky.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The flight was tense, but Liz made it home safely. There awaited the Lexington police department and their fellow marshals with their lights going. The ambulance awaits in the middle of the escort, ready to transport. Standing by the ambulance was Art, Tim and Rachel. 

“Looks like you’ll be getting a special escort to the hospital Mr. Givens.” The pilot spoke to Raylan through his headset, landing the helicopter safely onto the terminal. 

“It will be a good homecoming,” Raylan laughed. 

Liz had fallen asleep during the flight home, still holding onto Raylan’s hand. The flight medics got them both safely out of the helicopter and met the marshals and paramedic half way and safe from the copter blades. 

“How was she during the flight?” The medic asked the pilot. 

“Slept most of the way, they’ve had her on oxygen and medications. Her records are with her husband.” The pilot informed the medic before returning to the copter and taking off. 

Liz had opened her eyes to the loud noise of the helicopter flying away. Raylan was still at her side as Art, Tim, and Rachel approached.

“Hey guys,” Raylan greeted them.

“So good to have you two home,” Rachel greeted them. 

“It's good to be back,” Raylan said. 

“How’s she doing?” Art asked. 

“According to the Detroit doctor,” Raylan answered, “really good. We just need to get her to the next one to finish the treatment.” 

“Good to hear,” Art nodded, “now lets get her there so we can have her back in the office in no time.” 

“Couldn’t agree more,” Raylan agreed. 

“Sounds good, Chief.” Liz finally spoke clearly to Art with a small smile on her face. 

“Welcome back to Kentucky Mrs. Givens,” Art said. 

Liz’s smile grew before she closed her eyes. 

“Let’s get this escort going. Mr. Givens, please come with us.” The medic spoke up.

“Coming,” Raylan called to him. 

They got her loaded up into the ambulance while the marshals got into their vehicles, and turned on their lights and sirens, beginning to escort the ambulance to the hospital. Liz felt happy that she was home, and the next step was walking out of the hospital fully recovered. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A few more weeks had passed, Liz responded to the treatment nicely, and is now able to eat solid food and her infection was completely gone. Her walking was a bit unsteady from laying in bed for so long, but she was ready to finally be released. Liz sat on the edge of her hospital bed, in a change of clothes and sneakers that Raylan had brought from home. She couldn’t stop smiling at him and the situation. 

“I never thought this day would come, Ray. But, I’m finally being released.” Liz watched Raylan pack the bag he’d brought. “Why don’t you bring your car to the entrance, I can wait here for you.” 

“It's been a long time coming,” Raylan grinned, “I'll be right back. And you better be here when I get back!” 

He kissed her forehead before disappearing to go get his car. Liz giggled before watching him leave. She then remembered the past few months, all the times she’s almost died and was thankful for everything she has. 

Raylan returned to the room, Liz still sat on the bed waiting for him to help her to the car.

“Your chariot awakes madam,” Raylan bowed like a medieval prince then stood up laughing.

Liz laughed as well, grabbing the cane the hospital provided her to stand up and slowly walk to Raylan’s side. “Sucks I won’t be able to be in the office for another month.” 

“They’re going to have a party when you get back,” Raylan commented, “They’ve been sick and tired of my ass being on my own.” 

“Because all you do is get into trouble. I remember coming to save your ass during work. And, now you saved my ass more than once in the past few months.” Liz added as she leaned against the doorway of her now old hospital room. 

“Art will be happy to not be the only one yelling at me when I screw up,” Raylan laughed. 

“Let’s go home, I’m ready to be back in my own bed.” Liz turned and began to walk out of the room before stopping and looking back at Raylan. “Are the dead bodies and blood cleaned up from the living room?” 

“Ya,” he said, “I made sure to get the carpet replaced and the walls repainted too.” 

“Can’t wait to see it, so let’s get out of here!” Liz laughed, having her old personality back. 

“I totally agree with you,” he took her arm to support as they walked to the car. 

Liz sat in the passenger seat and buckled herself up. Her eyes sparkled with excitement. Soon as Raylan got into the driver's seat, they drove away from the hospital. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was a long month for Liz, still using the cane on her bad days when the weather made them act up. She could finally return to light duty back at work, and she was so excited. With her wedding band back on her finger, badge on her belt, side arm on her hip and her cane in hand Liz got into the passenger seat of Raylan’s car and buckled up. 

“Ready to finally be back,” Raylan asked. 

“I’m more than ready, honey. Let's get going before we are late.” Liz chuckled as she buckled her seatbelt.

“I'm sure the rest of the office can't wait to see,” Raylan put the car in gear and drove to the office. 

When they got there and parked. He looked over at his wife, “here we go.” 

Liz nodded to her husband smiling before opening her door, using it and her cane to stand up. She steps out of the way and closes the door behind her. Raylan walked around the car to meet her. He offered her his arm for support ready to escort her all the way back to the office like she was royalty. Liz took her husband's arm and was escorted into the building, up the elevator and to the office doors she dearly missed. 

“They've been anticipating your return so who knows what Art’s got waiting for you,” Raylan said. 

“Whatever he has, I’m sure I can handle it after what I just went through.” Liz chuckled as Raylan held the door for her. She walked through the office doors, feeling right at home. 

Art came out of his office and started clapping, “Welcome back Liz Givens!” 

Liz smiles brightly and begins to blush as she leans on her cane. “It’s good to be back, Art. I missed you guys!”

“We missed you too Liz!” Rachel came up and gave her a hug. 

Liz hugged Rachel back before walking to her desk that sat right next to Raylan’s. Everything was back to normal, and she was happy.


End file.
